WOW! I became in house registry with a Medical Center in Orange County California over a year ago after working 5 years outside registry. I enjoyed the staff at this facility and had begun to feel "at home". However, since the staffing ratios went into effect, this facility decided that the nursing staff should absorb the increased cost by eliminating our CNA's. In fact, forcing them to sign letters of resignation. That makes us primary care for 6 patients from a demographic profile that includes homeless frequent flier med seekers, non compliant chronics, SNF patients with aspiration pneumonia on NGT who must be restrained, patients with stage 4 on clinitron beds who require frequent cleaning, turning, not to mention feeders. Enough of the "cue the violins" and on to the reality....We are non union, non contract staffers who, upon voicing our concerns were told by Administration "you voted for the ratios, what are you *****ing about?" and the ever famous "If you don't like it, there is the door." Many of my commrades have been with this facility for 20 plus years and risk losing pensions, benefits and are ill equipped to place themselves back in the market.
I have been vocal regarding the potential impact on patient safety, work place injury and the unscupulous practice of Human Resources in "coercing" our dedicated CNA's to sign letters of resignation. Well, my big mouth paid off.
I was told by HR that I was being terminated for inciting "insubordination". I am back in the trenches as a Registry Nurse and am hoping that those who are left behind at this facility will take a stand . What a mind blower huh?
Don't even stress. See like always cut their noses off to spite their face. Losing good nurses left and right. That is why I will never work full time no where I like doing registry and an occasional contract. The b/s of most hospitals and what is so bad most nurses stay and put up with it.
How wrong you are, in this day and age where call bell's are so important, you must answer "promptly" how do you respond when you are up to your elbows in poop? Patients ring the call bell when thier IV's fall apart... and they do.... and wait for some one to show up.... as they bleed out. We have bed alarms that are effective in preventing falls, you run to the room to catch the patient before they end up on the floor, without the nursing assistants, even lazy ones, there would be many more falls. I am not willing to work in a place where they don't have NA's.
I am sorry for the loss of your job. but I do AMIRE YOUR COURAGE IN STANDING UP FOR THE PATIENTS AND FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. As nurses we have a lot to protect our patients and ourselves. That sounds like a risky situation to be in and wouldn't want that responsibility just for the case of any "mistakes". I am like you I hope that more people in your old job will also take a stand. Angelia
WOW! I became in house registry with a Medical Center in Orange County California over a year ago after working 5 years outside registry. I enjoyed the staff at this facility and had begun to feel "at home". However, since the staffing ratios went into effect, this facility decided that the nursing staff should absorb the increased cost by eliminating our CNA's. In fact, forcing them to sign letters of resignation. That makes us primary care for 6 patients from a demographic profile that includes homeless frequent flier med seekers, non compliant chronics, SNF patients with aspiration pneumonia on NGT who must be restrained, patients with stage 4 on clinitron beds who require frequent cleaning, turning, not to mention feeders. Enough of the "cue the violins" and on to the reality....We are non union, non contract staffers who, upon voicing our concerns were told by Administration "you voted for the ratios, what are you *****ing about?" and the ever famous "If you don't like it, there is the door." Many of my commrades have been with this facility for 20 plus years and risk losing pensions, benefits and are ill equipped to place themselves back in the market.
I have been vocal regarding the potential impact on patient safety, work place injury and the unscupulous practice of Human Resources in "coercing" our dedicated CNA's to sign letters of resignation. Well, my big mouth paid off.
I was told by HR that I was being terminated for inciting "insubordination". I am back in the trenches as a Registry Nurse and am hoping that those who are left behind at this facility will take a stand . What a mind blower huh?
I don't think anywhere is a perfect place to be a nurse at this time. The nursing shortage is here because many of us are not working due to the environment we work in. It is in every journal but yet management doesn't seem to respond to the porblems. The short fixes of spitting out new grads may help, but they will learn very soon & also will leave. Nurses no longer "put up" with unhealthy work places because we don't have to. Those who need to work for the support, begin to "just put in their time", which is not a healthy environment. Look into your state nursing association about change, many states are addressing these issues such as Oregon, Utah, Vermont & Wisconsin is working on a redesign of nursing to orchestrate better ways to recruit & RETAIN nurses and the healthy environment where we can practice quality nursing. GET INVOLVED!!!!!! :rotfl:
The bottom line in nursing is the bottom line. Administrators don't care about anything or anyone. Nursing will never change until laws are made or changed to protect nurses. The first thing that needs to happen is a national union. You have no power without the backing of an organization, and the corrupt hospital hierarchy to deal with. From pushy and pathetically corrupt human resources people to nurse managers that cover up errors for favored employees, I've seen it all. Nurses, especially honest ones that stand alone, are always on the chopping block. If it isn't repeated, extremely petty write-ups and "disciplinary" action that they pick at you with, it will be damaging gossip about your competence or credibility (which of course is totally false). In extreme cases, they will deliberately sabotage you by putting things in your personnel file, which inspectors can see, that you don't know about, or they may even tamper with your work (which is illegal of course, but who cares when the hospital is trying to push you out the door?). The law supposedly allows you to look in your file once or twice a year, but what's to stop them from removing things from your file and then putting them back in after you've viewed it? Nothing. Think about it. Why did it take over a hundred years after nursing started to pass a whistleblower law? The one we have isn't very good anyway; because, who is going to want to work at the same facility after you blow the whistle anyway? They'll be watching you to get you for anything every second you're working after that. Who is going to hire you after you blow the whistle also? These cases are often publicized and are in the newspaper or on television, at least locally. Aside from all this, there are the false drug diversion accusations, which I've seen myself, and the ultimate game facilities play: we'll go after your license. No, nursing will not change much; because, we really don't care about sick people in this world as much as the almighty dollar and the sacred protection of our corrupt healthcare facilities run by guys wearing suits, who always have lower guys/girls in appropriate business attire to either show you the door or push you through it, while they return to their colleagues and power lunch and share a story about how they just got rid of another "problem" nurse.
Oh Bloodman...you said a mouthful and I could have written your post myself...wonder if we've worked the same places. Your description sure paints an accurate picture of how healthcare operates in my parts. :stone
undefinedI worked for a 700 bed hospital in Tennessee for 15 years. I began having migrain HA problems & my neuro. put me in for a trial of DHE & a CT. The RN in charge of my care came into my room looking for my chart. She returned to my room 2 hours later, stood square shouldered, looked me straight in the eye & told me she finally found my chart. In the hands of MY CLINICAL MANAGER.(I worked acute post op ortho) I filed a grievence based on violation of my confidentally rights & was told that as an employee I didn't have any rights in that concern. Then when I went to the legal dept. I was told that I indeed did have rights in that respect however, they could not find any evidence that the incident ever took place. My manager had been deciplined for this type of behavior many times & I refused to let it go. Several other nurses who had problems with her also spoke up about her snooping, gossiping & mean spirited nature. The end result? They fired me. A patient I took care of was injured by a night staffer, she left him on a bedpan for hours, swore he was on it when she came on shift (so why did she wait 6 hours to notify the MD) Everyone I worked with went into shock. That was a year ago.They have had a complete turn over in staff.(12 turned in their notice within 2 weeks of my firing) I did not know how stressed I was untill I left. We were working 12 hours, primary care 6-7 acute post op ortho, mostly elderly hip fractures. Feeds, turns, incontent no CNA's. I look back on it & wonder how I stood it as long as I did. I know I will never go back to bedside nursing & am looking at leaving nursing all together.The enviornment has become impossible. We were told that we had to have 100% patient satisfaction. Please all the people, all the time. I'm not sure that even Christ could pull that off. I am married to a physician asst. & his income is enough to keep us afloat. I may never go back to work.
I hope you are able to find a new place where you "feel at home" & I am proud to hear of someone else that stood up for what is right. untill nurses pull together across the nation we will continue to be scape goats while hospital admin. gets big fat paychecks & the poor fella in the bed? 20 years from now--that will be you & me--who will be there when we push the call button?--------------------ozoneranger
WOW! I became in house registry with a Medical Center in Orange County California over a year ago after working 5 years outside registry. I enjoyed the staff at this facility and had begun to feel "at home". However, since the staffing ratios went into effect, this facility decided that the nursing staff should absorb the increased cost by eliminating our CNA's. In fact, forcing them to sign letters of resignation. That makes us primary care for 6 patients from a demographic profile that includes homeless frequent flier med seekers, non compliant chronics, SNF patients with aspiration pneumonia on NGT who must be restrained, patients with stage 4 on clinitron beds who require frequent cleaning, turning, not to mention feeders. Enough of the "cue the violins" and on to the reality....We are non union, non contract staffers who, upon voicing our concerns were told by Administration "you voted for the ratios, what are you *****ing about?" and the ever famous "If you don't like it, there is the door." Many of my commrades have been with this facility for 20 plus years and risk losing pensions, benefits and are ill equipped to place themselves back in the market.
I have been vocal regarding the potential impact on patient safety, work place injury and the unscupulous practice of Human Resources in "coercing" our dedicated CNA's to sign letters of resignation. Well, my big mouth paid off.
I was told by HR that I was being terminated for inciting "insubordination". I am back in the trenches as a Registry Nurse and am hoping that those who are left behind at this facility will take a stand . What a mind blower huh?
Hugs to you Ozoneranger and thanks for sharing your story. Hope you find something gainful AND fulfilling to do with your career. I am home now too like you...looking ahead and wondering if I can find something eventually, trying to heal from the hurts of the workplace. The dysfunction hits us hard when we realize how the 'caring healthcare industry' is so blatantly uncaring to its own. In an employment at will state we have so few rights and things are so difficult to prove. But we see what goes on around us over the decades,watch our good coworkers treated like garbage...it really hurts. Hugs to everyone here.
you didn't take it, you weren't one of the victims.
yesssss!!! i too applaud you for being assertive and standing up for what is right. if more and more nurses would do this what a better world of nursing it would be! you are my kind of nurse, and i'd work with you anyday!
you didn't take it, you weren't one of the victims.
yesssss!!! i too applaud you for being assertive and standing up for what is right. if more and more nurses would do this what a better world of nursing it would be! you are my kind of nurse, and i'd work with you anyday!
The nursing shortage is here because many of us are not working due to the environment we work in. It is in every journal but yet management doesn't seem to respond to the porblems. The short fixes of spitting out new grads may help, but they will learn very soon 
& also will leave. Nurses no longer "put up" with unhealthy work places because we don't have to. 
Those who need to work for the support, begin to "just put in their time", which is not a healthy environment. Look into your state nursing association about change, many states are addressing these issues such as Oregon, Utah, Vermont & Wisconsin is working on a redesign of nursing to orchestrate better ways to recruit & RETAIN nurses and the healthy environment where we can practice quality nursing. GET INVOLVED!!!!!! :rotfl:
natasha700
67 Posts
Don't even stress. See like always cut their noses off to spite their face. Losing good nurses left and right. That is why I will never work full time no where I like doing registry and an occasional contract. The b/s of most hospitals and what is so bad most nurses stay and put up with it.